She chose assisted suicide in Switzerland not to put an end to physical suffering but because she, clinically healthy and without pathologies, cannot bear the pain of the loss of her only child, who died four years ago at the age of 23. It is the choice of Wendy Duffy, 56 years old, a former social and health worker from the West Midlands (England). The woman obtained the approval of the Swiss clinic Pegasos, to which she paid 10,000 pounds. His story has brought the proposed law on the end of life back to the center of attention.
Wendy’s decision
Wendy’s son Marcus choked to death while eating a tomato. He was 23 years old. She will practice assisted suicide today. “My life, my choice. I wish this possibility existed in the UK,” he told the Daily Mail, stressing that euthanasia is not legal in his country. There is in fact a bill under discussion in Parliament, but it would allow the end of life only for “terminally ill” adults in England and Wales.
“I could throw myself from an overpass or a building, but that would leave anyone who found me dealing with that scene for the rest of their lives,” explained the woman, who had previously attempted suicide, risking becoming disabled. “I no longer feel any joy, I have no desire to continue living. I will not change my mind. Be happy for me. I know I will die with a smile on my face. Without my son nothing makes sense,” she said.
The family members were reportedly informed by the clinic and the woman prepared farewell letters and organized the final details, including choosing the music to be listened to in her final moments.
The controversy
The Pegasos clinic was recently at the center of controversy for helping a 47-year-old, clinically healthy man die. In this case the man’s family was unaware of his intentions.
The rules in Italy
Currently in Italy euthanasia is a crime. Medically assisted suicide in certain cases and the suspension of treatment – understood as “passive euthanasia” – are instead an inviolable right.
By “euthanasia” we mean the act “of intentionally and painlessly causing the death of a person who is conscious and capable of understanding the consequences of his actions and who explicitly requests it”. Medically assisted suicide is indirect aid in dying by a doctor.
It is thanks to ruling 242/2019 of the Constitutional Court that in Italy it is possible to request medically assisted suicide, but there are four conditions to be respected. The person who requests it must be fully capable of understanding and will, must have an irreversible pathology leading to serious physical or mental suffering, and must survive thanks to life support treatments.